Many food and other packages are susceptible to damage by the slightest opening in their package. Typically, the damage which results is that the product contained therein becomes spoiled or stale or otherwise unsuitable for sale or use. Such packages, including foil wrapped brick coffee, are typically shipped in cardboard boxes which are opened by means of a razor moved around the peripheral sides of the cardboard box. If the razor extends too far through the cardboard during such cutting and pierces a package therein, the product is usually damaged or ruined. This is a frequent problem, and results in significant losses in returned or damaged products.
In order to help avoid this problem, foil wrapped brick coffee has been contained in a rectangular box formed of a lid (top) and a tray (bottom) much like that depicted in FIG. 2. A shrink wrap was then applied around the box which was easily tearable from a lateral slot. However, because shrink wrap material tears or stretches in no particular direction, it was found that those responsible for opening such packaging systems still found it easiest or convenient to use a razor to cut the shrink wrap and open the container so that the packages contained therein were still liable to be damaged through use of the razor.
Various shrink wrap packages have also been disclosed in the prior art which are designed for easy opening. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,273,302 (Walter) and U.S. Pat. No. 3,403,840 both disclose a rectangular package completely surrounded by a shrink wrap with an easy opening means. The easy opening means is a lift tab provided on an end adjacent a pair of score lines extending along the lid of the package. Other packages having lift tabs which facilitate further tearing of a shrink wrap are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,344,975 (Stoker, Jr.), U.S. Pat. No. 3,442,436 (Kirby, Jr.), U.S. Pat. No. 3,175,752 (Stabenow), and U.S. Pat. No. 4.077,516 (Duerr).